Background information on the trip
This cycle trip was planned by my friend Tony Wallis and has a historical flavour. Tony has been researching the Priory at Hinckley which was situated alongside St Mary’s Church but has long since disappeared. During a dig by the Hinckley Field Walking Group in 2004, some remains of the Priory were discovered. It was one of several Benedictine Priories that paid taxes to the Abbott of Lyre or Lyra in France. Way back in the 12th century the monks from France came to Hinckley to build the Priory and the church. The aim of the ride was to visit four other Priories in England with associations with Lyre and then to cross the channel and visit the town of La Vieille Lyre which is about 70 miles south of Le Harve.
This was not going to be a round cycle trip. Tony’s friend Malcolm (Chairperson of the Field Walking Group) was to accompany us in his car and transport us home from France. This also provided a good excuse to bend the rules where distances got too great or hills got too steep! We normally travel about 50 miles a day but some of the sections that Tony had planned were much longer.